Beautiful Ruin
by Candykaykay2001
Summary: RE-UPLOADED. Inspired by Beautiful Ruin by Jhene Aiko. This wasn't his fathers dream anymore. This was his dream now. The man that left him and his mother trapped in a pile of charred rubble created a beautiful ruin for all to see.


**Thank you to** **Konsentsu12525 for letting me know that this could be deleted for the lyrics so I decided to re-upload it. I would just suggest listening to Beautiful Ruin on YouTube instead of me just putting the lyrics on here. Okay here's try number 2. I do not own Pokemon sadly.**

…

The sun was shining down on the small village of Pallet Town. Kids were playing in the streets with Pokemon and parents were watering plants and reading books on their porch steps with a smile.

All in all it was a pretty peaceful day.

A man dressed in a leather jacket, blue jeans, and fingerless gloves walked up to the Ketchum residence.

" _It's been years since I've been here."_

He slowly opened the white-painted gate and walked slowly towards the door marveling in the house his wife had accomplished into making a home.

Once he reached the front door, he touched it softly letting his calloused hands trace the somewhat smooth wood of the door.

He took a deep breath and stepped back knocking on the door firmly excited to see his family for the first time in five years.

Nobody came to the door for several seconds and the man could feel his anxiousness grow with each second that passed.

Finally the door opened and the man had to internally gasp at his wife.

She didn't look any different from the day he left.

She still wore her light brown hair in a low ponytail and her brown eyes continued to sparkle in kindness and hidden mischievous that she had been known for back in her younger years.

When those brown eyes connected with his blue ones, she dropped the dish towel she had been holding.

" Michael?"

The man, Michael, smiled and opened his slightly muscular arms open for a hug. A long five year hug.

" Hey Delia. Did you miss me?"

… **...**

He had only been five at the time when his father came back.

Ash was doing what every Pallet Town kid was doing today: Playing outside.

Ash had his best-friend, Gary Oak, over to play there daily game: Pokemon Trainer.

They always had fun together pretending one person was the Pokemon and the other the trainer coming up with different scenarios to make their journeys better and better each time they played.

That's exactly what they were doing today.

Sound effect after sound effect traveled throughout the small yard and giggles could be heard occasionally when they broke character for no more than a mere second.

Sadly it was interrupted when Ash's mother called for him to come in the house.

He sighed and smiled apologetically at Gary. " Sorry I'll be right back."

He ran inside the house and pulled of his shoes quickly as to not spread any loose grass or mud throughout the house for he knew his mother would scold him.

" Mom?"

" Were in the dining room Ash!"

He walked through the arch way leading to the kitchen and turned to the right to go into the dining room.

It was then that he froze.

He never actually got to meet his father because according to his mother he left when he was a baby to achieve his dream.

The only things he ever inherited from his father was his looks (except his eyes of course) and the only thing he ever saw of him was pictures.

Pictures never really filled the hole of not having a dad, but it gave him a little bit of closure to know what he looked like and what he was like through his mom.

And now he had the chance to see him in the flesh and ask him all the questions he's been wanting to ask him ever since he could think, talk, and walk.

But the only thing that really came out was a whisper. " Dad?"

He smiled and Ash couldn't have been happier to see that in his entire existence in this Earth which wasn't very long.

" Hey Ash long time not see."

And that's when Ash unfroze from his spot and ran to his father's open arms with a smile.

… **...**

He was eight now.

This time instead of being sunny it was raining immensely as Ash sat with a blanket wrapped around his small frame trying to focus on his cartoons.

Trying but failing.

His parents were fighting in the other room.

" No Michael! You are not going to leave again! You've only been back for three years and in these three years I haven't seen Ash this happy as I've seen him now. To take that away from him would be downright selfish!"

" I just want to make you proud! Our son proud! I'm not going to be gone that long. Only six months I promise."

Ash heard his mother sigh in frustration.

" That's exactly what you said the last time you left. You said six months and it turned into five years. You didn't even call to check up on me or your son so what makes you believe I should trust you would keep your promise?"

" Delia your being unreasonable."

" Me? Unreasonable? I'm not being unreasonable Michael. I'm being realistic. I was trying so hard to go along with your dream for all these years, but this is just getting ridiculous. I'm convinced at this point you don't even want a family.

Ash's father said nothing for a moment. And what he did say chilled Ash to his very core.

" Well I guess my family just holds me back."

Before his mother could say something else, his father burst out of the door and ran upstairs to the bedroom.

He could here his mother shouting at him to rethink his decision. To think about what he was throwing away.

His father wouldn't here it. He ran back down stairs with a suitcase filled to the brim with clothing and he stormed out the door without a second glance.

His father didn't even say goodbye.

The man he gave his whole world to just tossed him and his mother away like a piece of trash that didn't matter.

" _Well I guess my family just holds me back."_

He could hear his mother sobbing.

He could feel his heart grow heavier and heavier with every second that passed.

And in that moment he hated his father more than he ever had in his life.

… **...**

He was ten now.

It had been two years since his father left him and his mother.

It had been six months since Ash had left home to achieve his dream.

His _father's_ dream.

With the help of his new friends Misty and Brock he was getting there.

He was going to prove to his father that he made a mistake.

That he could be proud of what his son became.

Be proud that he became what his father could not be.

He never did forget him.

And he never would.

That hatred, sadness, and anger he felt propelled him forward everyday than he thought possible.

He would become the best Pokemon Master the world has to offer.

And if he ever battled his father someday….

Ash just hoped his father would be proud of him.

…

He's thirteen now.

The stars shone brightly in the dark sky as Ash sat staring into the dying embers of the fire his newest traveling companions had set up mere hours ago.

He was thinking about his dad again.

He wondered if his father even missed him at all.

He still despised him with everything he had, but he couldn't help but wonder of his father was still alive out there.

What was he doing?

How was he?

Did he ever regret the choice he made those long five years ago?

Did he ever wonder how his son grew up?

What his dreams were?

How he is?

How his wife, his _mother,_ was after all these years?

Did he even care?

Ash sighed deeply.

It was a funny thing. He missed his father, but he hated him to the very core of his being. He wished to hug him one last time and then rip his intestines out. He wanted to kiss him on the cheek and slit his throat. He wanted to play catch and bash his head in with a rock.

He groaned softly.

It was just a mess.

…

He was sixteen now.

He had traveled to Sinnoh and Unova in those three years and was now in Kalos with his new friends Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie.

He still thought about his father daily.

He still worked hard towards his father's dream everyday with a renewed determination.

He could feel that this one was going to be one.

He could taste it.

Smell it.

Victory and success were right in his grasp.

Victory and success he had been working hard for since six years ago when he was allowed to travel.

Even farther than that to be accurate.

He just wished his father could be able to see it.

… **...**

" And the winner is…Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!"

He was in shock.

Eight years.

Eight years of training and crying and all the pain he had been feeling since he was eight was one step away from being completed.

He finally won a league.

He won the Kalos League.

All the weight he had been feeling all these years to accomplish something for the man that left him and his mother when he was at the tender age of eight seemed to slip away slowly.

All the hatred.

All the sadness.

All the pain.

All the happiness.

Seemed to fade out of existence and all that was left was a feeling of serenity.

Peace.

This wasn't his fathers dream anymore.

This was _his._

He did all the work.

He went through all the pain.

All the traveling.

All the accomplishments.

All the downfalls.

All the bad days.

He went through the adventure.

All his father did was propel him forward.

He Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town did the rest.

And he felt damn good about it.

…

 **I actually like this a ton better than the first draft. So again thanks a bunch to** **Konsentsu12525 for the feedback and warning. I hope you like this a little bit better than the first one.** **Alright everyone that's the end of this. R &R and I'll see you in the next story. Bye. **


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